


Recovery

by Fletcher_Of_Mirkwood



Series: A Well-Deserved Vacation [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang & Zuko Friendship (Avatar), Closure, Cooking, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Post-Canon, Post-Finale, Post-War, Protective Aang (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Travel, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29916207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fletcher_Of_Mirkwood/pseuds/Fletcher_Of_Mirkwood
Summary: Zuko returns with Aang to Lee's village hoping to make amends for almost burning down the town the last time he was there. Featuring, noodles and dumplings.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Lee & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: A Well-Deserved Vacation [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166051
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Recovery

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the final part of the A Well-Deserved Vacation series. I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> I think Lee may be a little out of character, but honestly I just wanted to post ;)
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated!  
> Lily <3

Zuko was at Appa's head again, the warm, mid-day sun beating down on his face. He was glad that he had made peace with Song and her mother, but he knew winning Lee and his parents, Gansu and Sela, and possibly his brother, Sensu, would be much harder. He had lied to them and frightened them. Their hatred of the war and the Fire Nation would be hard to overcome, even if they had heard about all the good he was doing as Fire Lord.

Aang rejoined him at the reins, handing over a bag of fireflakes. Well, he had been able to win over Aang and his friends after trying to kill them multiple times. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. 

As they flew closer to the village, Zuko gripped the knife in his pocket. He hoped Lee would accept it.

A few people waved as Appa lowered himself to the ground right outside town. On one side of Appa, Zuko could see the pig farm in the distance. On the other, about a dozen people were approaching to greet the Avatar.

"Maybe you'd better go first," he suggested to Aang. He had told him the what had happened here on the flight over.

The younger boy shook his head. "We dismount together, Zuko. If you want them to see you as good, then you have to be beside me as an equal. C'mon." 

Aang grabbed his hand and hopped off the saddle, bending enough air to softly land them both on the ground.

Zuko watched the townspeople's faces turn from a smile at Aang to a sneer at seeing him. He froze. He didn't know what to say. 

Aang felt his friend tense and squeezed his hand before offering a polite bow. "Hello everyone."

Zuko also made a stiff bow. He closed his eyes and took the second to center himself. Why did this matter so much?

"Avatar Aang," and older woman at the head of the group bowed, pointedly towards him and not Zuko. "You," she glared at the firebender. "Are not welcome." 

Aang took a step forward, "He's my friend--" Before he could continue, Zuko cut him off with a light touch on the shoulder. He had to do this on his own.

"I came to apologize for not telling you who I was, for stirring up trouble, for burning a few buildings. But I hope that my actions towards ending the war and returning balance lend credence to my apology."

The group grumbled, and the old woman scoffed. "Big talk."

"I want to help--we want to help you," Aang nodded at his friend's words. "Whatever you need. I owe it to you." 

"Fine," she snapped. "But I trust the Avatar. I do not trust you." 

Zuko acquiesced the point with a bow of his head. "I understand. Perhaps you could talk to Aang about it over a bowl of noodles?" The other boy's eyes glinted at the mention of food. Zuko's eyes drifted to his pocket where the knife was. "I have another apology to make."

***

He stood midway down the road, spotting Gansu and another man, presumably Sensu, working with the pigs. They hadn't spotted him yet. Zuko took a deep breath and continued walking. He was still wearing civilian Earth Kingdom clothing, but his scar was recognizable from a distance.

"Hey!" Zuko looked up from his feet to see Lee running toward him from the house. "Get away!" The boy was maybe 10 paces from Zuko now. His father and brother had stopped work to see who had arrived. 

Zuko raised his hands slowly in surrender. "Hey." There was anger and hate in Lee's eyes. It reminded him a lot of how Azula used to look at him. He hoped this would turn out better than that had. Lee was a good kid.

"What do you want?" he practically snarled. 

"I was in the neighborhood," Zuko replied, slowly kneeling and removing the knife from his pocket. He sent it skittering down the dirt road to Lee's feet. "It's yours, if you want it."

His father and brother had come up behind him now. Their faces betrayed confusion and the same anger and hatred Lee's held.

"Master Gansu, Master Sensu, I presume," Zuko greeted them formally. He took a deep breath. "I came to--"

"I don't care. You have your own nation, Fire Lord," Gansu spat. "Just stay there."

"I didn't come as Fire Lord," Zuko blurted out before they could turn away. "I came as the traveler I was, looking to make amends with the kind people that let me stay the night." 

Sensu stepped forward, big brother that he was. "Lee was almost shipped off to fight in the war that your people started."

"And I stopped him from being taken," Zuko countered, rising to his feet. "And I stopped the war."

These were two fairly good points, and Sensu had no retort. He just stood fuming. Zuko raised his hands again in surrender. He wasn't looking for a fight.

"Perhaps, if you let me treat your family to dinner at the inn, we could talk?"

But Gensu just turned away, bringing Lee with him. "We won't take your blood money," he said. Sensu scowled at Zuko before following his father. 

The Fire Lord didn't move until all three were inside their house. The dagger was still on the ground. He picked it up and headed back to town, promising himself to come again tomorrow. 

***  
Aang's night had gone much better than his, Zuko reflected as he and Aang climbed into their beds. He had made friends with the townspeople by Earthbending some needed houses and being his usual, cheerful, friendly self. Why couldn't Zuko make friends that easily? It would make all the peace talks go more smoothly if he were a likable person. Why was he so bad at being good? He sighed. 

Too loudly, apparently, because Aang shifted to face him. "What's wrong, Zuko?"

After some silence, he answered, "I'm not friendly enough." He knew that he was a more pessimistic person, but did that really make him not likable? Or was it just the Fire Nation in him that people didn't like? "I'm not a likable person."

"You have a harsher exterior," Aang acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean people can't like you. You don't say many nice things out loud, but you do lots of nice things. Let your actions show your compassion instead. People will notice and they'll like you for it. That's what you did for Team Avatar."

Zuko thought to himself for a while. Aang was right. He had never been that good with words, but he was good at taking action. He should do something for Lee's family to show how much he wanted to make amends.

"Thanks," he whispered to his friend, even though he was already fast asleep.

***  
In the morning, Zuko was struck with an idea. As his uncle said, tea was the way to every man's heart. Well, Zuko usually extended this principal to food too. He had already offered to buy them dinner, but maybe a more personal approach would be better. 

That afternoon, he and Aang set up at the window-shop of the inn. Zuko was proud to say that he had not spent his time in Ba Sing Se idle. While Uncle was pulling long hours at the tea shop, Zuko had been the one to cook dinner back at their apartment. Sure, there had been a few burnt egg rolls, but he had learned how to do noodles and dumplings rather well. 

After an hour or two of prep, Aang went to invite Lee's family to the event. Everyone in town would be given a free bowl of noodles and dumplings (both pork and vegetable available). While Aang was gone, Zuko began to cook. Three pots of boiling water and two waks on two stoves was daunting, but he approached it like combat, focusing on his goal and even using firebending to regulate the temperatures of the pots.

In a gust of wind, Aang stopped himself after speed-running back. He shook his head no. Zuko couldn't help feeling disappointed but pressed on with the cooking. 

The Avatar handed out the bowls of food, chatting and smiling with all the residents. The Fire Lord smiled and waved from his position by the stoves, and some people even smiled and waved back.

An hour went by and everyone had gotten their share, except for Lee's family. A pot of broth filled with noodles and dumplings sat on the stove. With a nod, Zuko and Aang hefted the pot onto a borrowed wagon and set off towards the farm.

"Avatar Aang, how may I help you?" Sela, Lee's mother asked when she opened the door. Aang stepped to the side and gestured to Zuko and the wagon at the foot of the front steps. "Since you and your family couldn't make it to the festivities earlier, we wanted to come by with the food you missed."

Zuko awkwardly waved and gestured to the pot. "It's kinda cold now, but I can heat it up quickly--"

"That won't be necessary," Sela answered, having recovered from her initial shock of seeing Zuko. "We have plenty of our own food for dinner. Thank you." With a quick bow directed at Aang, she closed the door before he could say another word. 

***

Zuko laid in his bed again. He had not won them over with food, and, with only a day left, hope of reconciliation was dwindling. He sighed softly. Maybe, maybe... An image of the Blue Spirit paying the farm a visit flashed through his mind. It was impossible, but he was out of ideas. 

His thoughts swam around his head as he began to drift off, until a soft tapping at the window caught his attention. He rose and crept out of bed to investigate, careful not to wake Aang. With a gasp, he realized that Lee was at the window. The boy looked nervous. Maybe Zuko had done something right.

Zuko opened the window and hopped out, motioning for Lee to remain silent until they were well away from anyone who might be listening. 

"Lee," he whispered in greeting. 

"Zuko--Fire Lord, I mean--"

"Zuko's fine," the man corrected calmly.

Lee took a deep breath and recited a practiced speech. "Zuko, I wanted to say sorry for not being nice to you. You're a hero. You didn't let me get taken off to the army, and you brought my brother home from the war. But I was angry, so I forgot to say thank you."

By Agni, did Zuko know about being angry. "Are you less angry now?"

"Yeah. When you came by with the food today, I realized that you were really sorry. But I know my mom didn't, and I'm sorry about that too."

"You don't need to apologize for her. I understand why she doesn't like me. Thank you for your apology." Zuko extended his hand and they shook on it. "Are you interested in another lesson with dao blades?"  
***

It was almost morning by the time Zuko returned to his room via the window. Aang was still asleep, so Zuko washed up and got ready for the day. They both helped out around the town for the morning; Aang built a few more houses, while Zuko helped people move into them. After his little noodle-fest the day before, the townspeople seemed to like him. They smiled and chatted to him just like they had with Aang yesterday, and he did his best to be friendly back. It didn't always work--sometimes he was lost for words and would just let the silence grow--but other times it did. And that made him happy.

At lunch they checked on Appa, who took up half the room in the inn's stable. 

"So...where were you last night?" Aang asked in between rubbing Appa's fur. Zuko shouldn't have been surprised at the question, but he stilled anyway. "I woke up when you came in for your dao blades."

"Lee came by," Zuko confessed. "I gave him a lesson, just like I had when I first came by."

Aang brightened. "That's good news, right? That means they like you now!"

"Just Lee." Zuko gave Momo an affectionate rub on the ears. "He...his parents and brother still don't like me, but...that's okay. He's coming back tonight to say goodbye before we leave."

Aang thought that was a great thing, even if he was a little disappointed that the rest of Lee's family hadn't come around. "C'mon, we have a few hours before dinner. Let's explore a little."  
***

After an afternoon of walking and a quick sparring match for fun (no bending, of course), they had dinner at the inn. The townsfolk wanted to here stories about the Avatar's travels, and he was more than happy to oblige. On the other hand, Zuko was more than happy to sit back and listen to Aang. The rest of Team Avatar had filled him in on their adventure during the time after his coronation, but a few memorable moments had slipped through the cracks, and Zuko heard about how Sokka had tried to fish with his boomerang for the first time. He'd have to ask the Water Tribe warrior when he came to Caldera.

For some reason, Zuko was anxious about saying goodbye to Lee. He sat cross-legged on his bedroll, balancing the knife on one finger. It was beautiful and extremely well crafted. A weapon fit for a prince, but instead being given back to the Earth Kingdom in the hands of an honorable boy. What if Lee refused it again? Zuko wanted to show him his gratitude, to do something to make up for his wrongs. Not that he hadn't done it through peace talks and trade agreements and negotiated reparations, but those were impersonal signatures on stacks of paper. He needed closure for his mistakes. 

The rap he had been waiting for came at the window. He stuffed the knife in his pocket and joined his friend outside. They sparred for an hour or so, ending when Lee accidentally hit Zuko's lightning scar. It hadn't hurt much, but needless to say Zuko decided that was enough for the night. 

"Hey, I have something to give you," Zuko said.

"So do I," replied Lee. Without waiting for a reply, he excitedly scurried over to his sack that he had left underneath the window. 

"A...new hat?" Zuko asked tentatively once Lee had revealed it. 

He nodded fervently. "Yeah, you had one when you came the first time, but you don't have one now. It can get really hot here, so I thought you'd need one for the journey back."

Zuko smiled and accepted his gift graciously. He would never be able to wear it back home, but it could occupy a cozy spot on the wall of his room, hanging next to his Blue Spirit mask. 

"Your turn," Zuko slid the knife out of his pocket and gently laid it on the ground between them. 

"Can I really?" Lee asked after a moment's pause. "Even after I said no?" Zuko nodded, and Lee snatched it up and began examining it with the same wonder from a year ago. 

"If you ever decide to visit Caldera, show the Palace guard this and you'll be my guest." The boy nodded distractedly, still admiring the blade in the moonlight.

"Here," Zuko said, instinctively lighting a small flame on his fingertips. Equally instinctively, Lee shrunk back. Zuko snuffed it out immediately, ashamed to be the cause of fear in the other boy's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--"

"It's okay..." They sat awkwardly for another moment before Zuko suggested they head to bed. 

After thanking him for the lessons, Lee said suddenly, "I'll come."

"What?"

"To Caldera, when I'm older. You've seen my house, so I want to see yours."

Zuko smiled. "Seems fair." He started to give a warrior's salute, but Lee tackled him for a brief hug instead. That only made him smile more.  
***  
The journey back was peaceful. Appa flew smoothly, and they made good time before setting down on the coast at dinner time. 

"Aang, I'm sorry you had to work," Zuko said over a cup of jasmine tea.

"What, building houses? That wasn't your fault. Besides it's my duty--"

"--as the Avatar, I know." Zuko finished for him. "But the point of the vacation was to get away from all that. And I promised you no work, but really I led you straight to it because I wanted to see Lee--"

"And that's fine, Zuko." It was Aang's turn to interrupt. "I know you needed to do this, and I was happy to do anything to help you. Just like you were happy to make this vacation happen. And I enjoyed myself, don't worry."

"Thanks, Aang." 

"No problem, Zuko." He pulled his friend into a tight hug. "I'm glad we came. I feel a lot better."

Zuko lent into the hug and closed his eyes to savor the moment. "I feel better too."


End file.
